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He tightened his grip. “Tease.” Then he kissed her again.

She knew he wasn’t innocent, that he’d been wrong in the past with the things he’d said. But right now, she didn’t want to go back. Just forward. Right now, the only things that mattered were his lips, his hands, and the warmth of his embrace shielding her from the cold ocean breeze.

Chapter Eleven

“Wow,” Melanie whispered.

“I know.”

“I mean…it just…”

“Doesn’t seem real?”

Melanie shook her head as she curled up on the couch, blowing on her coffee. They had the day off for the election, when Haverport High’s cafeteria was transformed with voting booths and an absurd number of red, white, and blue flags. Rory could already picture Mr. Clark and his gleaming nightmare-ish smile standing outside of the school, greeting the townies as they exercised their right.

Voting apparently made people hungry though, which meant Haverport Diner was packed and Rory was left with an empty house. Melanie came over as soon as she poured her first cup of coffee, and she’d listened to every little detail about Jay.

“I’m not going to lie…I’m in a bit of shock,” Melanie admitted. “I mean, this feels like it came out of nowhere.”

She shrugged. “He told me he didn’t realize what he was missing until he left.”

“Yeah, but still, that feels like such a huge jump,” Melanie responded. “So are you guys, like, officially dating now?”

Her heart twisted. It was a huge jump, and they didn’t have any kind of conversation defining what they meant to each other before Jay drove back to campus. But when he called her later that night, she couldn’t find the courage to ask.

“No, we’re just…seeing each other, I guess.”

Melanie’s eyebrows furrowed. “And you’re okay with that?”

“For right now, yes,” Rory lied. Well, it felt like a half-lie. While she wanted Jay to claim her in that way, she was nervous about what that would mean. “I still don’t know what’s going on with me next year, and I probably shouldn’t hop into some kind of long-distance relationship.”

Melanie’s eyes went wide like a doe. “Long-distance? Are you planning on moving far?”

“I—” Rory thought about it for a moment. The idea of moving away made her nauseous. Could she actually stomach going away to college?

“Because if you are, we need to discuss. How far do I need to force Calvin to drive so I can see you?”

“Maybe I just won’t move then,” Rory blurted. “Maybe I’ll stay here.”

Melanie leaned in, eyes sparkling. “Don’t tease me like that.”

“Says the girl thinking about going to Yale,” she pointed out.

“Yeah, we’ll see,” Melanie mumbled, taking a sip of her coffee.

Rory’s phone dinged. She grabbed it, wondering if it was Jay—who, she found out, tended to sleep in late each morning—but realized it was Gabi.

Looks like they double booked at Wilson’s tonight, so I’m off the hook! Takeout and Disney?

She sighed. It was an enticing bribe. But she hadn’t spoken to Gabi since the weekend, and she wasn’t in the mood to do so now. Not when her mind was preoccupied with Jay. Her skin tingled as she thought about his hands on her.

She closed her phone, looking up at her friend. “Wanna go to the movies tonight?”

“Haverport Cinemas? You know, I actually haven’t been there yet.”

She frowned. “Calvin seriously hasn’t taken you to the movies? I told you he’s slacking.”

“Let’s just say we’ve been busy,” Melanie said with a smirk, taking another convenient sip of her coffee.